The Beach and other Things: Fun in the Human World
by OpalOwly
Summary: A collection of oneshots from rukia's POV about how Ichigo entertains her in the Human World and she falls in love with him   IchiRuki, implied other couples
1. The beach

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, despite that being my wish whenever I blowout the candles, see a shooting star, or throw coins in a fountain. Despite the afore mentioned methods, I also do not own any characters from Bleach either. i only own the original storyline of this story :(**

**note: I appreciate reviews that contain constructive criticism _VERY MUCH_, and while I will read them, Flames will only be used to roast marshmallows and nothing else.**

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><p>It started with a simple question. "Rukia, have you ever been to a beach?"<p>

I had never heard of a place called a 'beach'. "No, Ichigo, I have not been to a 'beach'. What is it?"

I looked at Ichigo expectantly as he began to explain. "Well first of all, have you heard of an ocean? It's a huge body of water."

"Like a lake?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yeah," he said, "Only a _lot_ bigger, and it's salty."

I tried to imagine this place called a 'beach' and why I had to know what an 'ocean' was to understand what a beach was. Ichigo was still talking, "Anyway, a beach is like this place that has lots of sand, you know what that is, right?" I glared at him; I wasn't completely ignorant. Of course I knew what sand was. "Well it's covered with sand and it borders the ocean. People go there to swim and relax. It's actually pretty fun, and I was wondering if you wanted to go," he finished.

_Ichigo wants to take me to this beach? He hasn't mentioned if anyone else is going…._I thought. I hadn't had an actual day off in a long time, and Ichigo said that the beach was a fun place to go. _It won't hurt anything, just as long as nobody finds out._ I thought. "Yes, I'll go with you to the beach. When do you want to take me?"

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><p>It occurred to me too late that if Nii-sama ever found out about this, Ichigo might as well draw Senbonzakura across his own throat. As innocent as Ichigo was, I was sure he didn't think of it as a date, but as cautious and overprotective as my brother was, I was sure he would. It also occurred to me too late that Renji was also somewhere in Karakura Town, and he had an odd way of finding out things that he wasn't supposed to know. And if he found out, he'd definitely go tattling to Nii-sama. However, I couldn't really back out of my engagement with Ichigo; that would be rude. Besides, I was very interested in seeing this beach. Also, Renji knew I was sleeping my nights in Ichigo's room, but Byakuya either didn't know about that, or he didn't care, so maybe I was worrying too much.<p>

Pushing aside those disturbing thoughts, I turned my mind to slightly more trivial matters. Ichigo had said I would need a 'bathing suit'. I had no idea what this was other than that it was an article of clothing meant to swim in. In Soul Society, I had simply gone swimming in my underclothes or stripped down. But then again, I had always swum with a group that consisted solely of other women, and obviously that method wasn't going to work with Ichigo. I decided to ask Orihime for help in the morning. I was pretty sure she would know about things like this. He'd also mentioned things like sunscreen, bodyboards, and something on the beach called a boardwalk. It had all gone in one ear and marched right out the other, but I figured he'd repeat it all when we went.

I rolled over on my tiny bed in Ichigo's closet, and I drifted off to sleep, finally have nothing left that I wanted to think about.

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><p>"Of course I'll take you swimsuit shopping!" Orihime exclaimed when I asked her, "It'll be so much fun!" She certainly looked excited at the purchase of a single article of clothing. I couldn't understand why, although, I decided that there were more options open to her as a human than to me as a shinigami, and that might be why. She offered to take me that weekend, and I agreed. In a very enthusiastic tone, she then began to rattle on about different boutiques we could frequent and how we should visit the mall. I was completely confused, considering that I didn't know any of them, but I let her ramble on.<p>

The weekend came faster than I anticipated, and rather early Saturday morning, Orihime dragged me off to the center of town where her favorite boutiques were. Secretly, I was dreading our little shopping trip. I'd never actually been shopping for clothes; the servants at the Kuchiki manor took care of that for me, and when I came to the World of the Living, Uryu had sewn all me clothes for me. Shopping was a completely new experience for me, and by the way Orihime was acting, it seemed rather complicated full of styles, and patterns, and brands.

The first store Orihime brought me to was brightly lit and the walls were very colorful. There were long, flowing dresses in the front of the store accompanied by sleeveless shirts and pants of varying lengths, some that wouldn't even pass the middle of my thighs. Off to the walls, there were various styles of sandals and other shoes. Then, to the back of the store, we found the clothing that was apparently the object of our quest. I found that I blushed even just looking at them.

Nii-sama had trained me into modesty like the most protective of fathers. I rarely wore any top lower than my collarbone, and I never wore any robe, skirt, or pant higher below my knees. What I was looking at was skimpier even than some of my underwear. They left _nothing _to the imagination. In any of the articles of clothing in front of me, I would be hopelessly exposed. My stomach, my legs, most of my breasts….my head swam in horror just at the thought of it. Nii-sama would cloister me away for sure if he ever caught me in anyone of these. Orihime chuckled when she saw my face, and despite that, she handed me a bright pink suit speckled with flowers. _It's nothing but a bra and panties_, I thought. I didn't want to offend her though, so I took it and the others she handed me. When I looked at them, my insides squirmed uncomfortably. I was going to the beach with _Ichigo_; there was no way he was going to see me like this. And if Byakuya found out, it would be that much worse.

Something further back caught my eye. It was another one of these bathing suits, but it considerably more modest. It could cover up much more of my chest and it covered all of my stomach. The bottoms didn't cover anymore of my legs, but none of the bathing suits I saw did. I picked it up. "Rukia," Orihime cried in obvious dismay, "Why would you get something like _that_?" I blinked at her in confusion. "You're going to the beach. You're supposed to _show off_. You always wear these things that cover you up, so flaunt it a little this time," she admonished me. I could only stare, completely scandalized.

"But, some of these have less fabric than my underwear," I protested weakly, "I could never."

Orihime narrowed her eyes at me. It was one of the few times she looked something other than happy, and by the look in her face, I could tell I wasn't going to win this argument. "Alright then," she said in a commanding voice, "You're embarrassed to wear a bikini," (so that's what this was called), "and I won't _let_ you wear a tankini," (so that's what _this_ was called), "Then you'll go to the beach in a monokini." The word itself sounded imposing to me.

Orihim guided me to a rack of one-piece bathing suits. All of them had fabric missing from somewhere on the torso. This was her compromise, I guessed. It covered up part of the torso, unlike the bikinis, but it didn't cover up as much as the tankinis. I wasn't pleased, but Orihime wouldn't budge. I ended up buying one that had a large portion of cloth cutout from the torso in the back and front on both sides.

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><p>We didn't go on the actual beach right away. Ichigo insisted we walk on the boardwalk first. The boardwalk, as it turned out, was a raised walkway made of wooden planks with little shops and restaurants alongside it. We entered one of the shops, and Ichigo bought me what he said was a bodyboard. It was a large piece of foam covered by some odd brightly colored cloth, much like the one he ahd brought along. A thin rope dangled from it with a wristband at its end. Ichigo said I would need it for later, but I couldn't think why.<p>

We found a quiet spot on the beach where there weren't too many people. The sand was warm under my feet and the waves crashed against it as they rolled in and away from shore. It was a beautiful scene, I had to admit. Ichigo began to set up some of the things we'd brought: an umbrella, a blanket, and a collapsible chair. He'd also brought along a basket of food, so I supposed that we were going to have a picnic. "So how do you like the beach so far?" he asked.

I squinted back at him as I shaded the sun from my eyes. "It's very bright, to be honest," I replied.

He shrugged. "It won't bother you for long. I'm going in; you coming?" He picked up his bodyboard and began to move toward the water. I wasn't sure what he was about to do, but I picked up mine. Also, and followed him. He began to run toward the water, board raised over his head, and once he was in waist deep, he lay the board on the water's surface and lay down on it. He let himself drift out a bit before yelling back to me, "Are you coming or not?"

I nodded hesitantly. I wasn't sure how safe it was to be in water that moved as much as this water did. It splashed upon shore before some invisible force sucked it back out and then it rushed onto shore once again. Further out, it moved in rolling movements that were slightly calmer, but never did it lie still like the water of a pond of a lake. I walked rather slowly toward the water until it was ankle deep. A hiss shot through my lips; it was cold! I could hear Ichigo, that impertinent brat, laughing out me from farther out in the ocean. He was just floating, lazily, completely unperturbed by the motion of the water. I steeled myself against the biting cold of the salty water and rushed out. Once I was in up to my chest, I laid myr board down and lay down on my stomach. The water rolling under me felt strange as I bobbed up and down. At first I thought I was going to fall, but then I grew used to it, and I was rather pleased with myself. It was very peaceful, and, excepting the distant voices of the other beachgoers, it was quiet.

We lay like that for a while before Ichigo paddled over. He was lying in what I thought was the strangest position. His back was in the water, and he held his board across his stomach. His head was tilted back so that everything was submerged except for his eyes, nose, and mouth. He seemed oddly relaxed. "You should try it," he murmured. "Just lie like this and relax everything. Feeling the waves roll under you feels so good." I slipped off my board and turned onto my back, clutching the board to my chest. Hesitantly, I relaxed my muscles. The feeling of just being shifted gently this way and that was more relaxing than anything I had ever felt before. I almost felt like I wanted to lie like this forever. I closed my eyes, listening to the silence. _I have never felt this good…_ I thought.

Ichigo and I floated like that for what seemed to be a long time. When I heard him lifting himself back onto his bodyboard, I was reluctant to move, it was so soothing. But when I heard him paddling toward me, I quickly clambered onto my board. It would be just like Ichigo to shove me under while my eyes were closed, and I was having none of that. I looked at him warily and by the disappointed look on his face, I knew that I had been right about his intentions. But his chance was ruined and there was nothing he could do about it. He smirked at him.

"Hey, move in toward the beach," he said. He began to paddle off, and I followed, wondering what other things he had in store. Once he seemed to be somewhere he could stand, he picked up his board and walked to shore and stood waiting for me to catch up. I could see a look of anticipation in his eyes, like he wanted to show me something. "Now this," he said once I got out of the water, "Is the real purpose for these things. I'm just going to do something simple, so you can do it, too." He walked back into the water until he was in up to his knees. _And the point of making me get out of the water was…._? I thought with mild bemusement.

He stood, back to the waves, yet looking back, board held out in front of him. He was tense, waiting for something. A wave rushed past him, and was sucked back out, but he ignored it. A second and third wave passed him, but he ignored them, too. The fourth wave was rather large, and when Ichigo saw it, he became visible excited. Just as it curled to crash upon the beach, he lowered his board and lay down, placing his weight on the wave. Rapidly, in a spray of foam, it shot him forth several meters up onto the sand. I couldn't tell what was so entertaining about it. Ichigo was lying there with a look of amusement on his face and grinning stupidly. _It's just water; I don't understand why you are so entertained. _I thought.

Five minutes later I ended up back turned to the waves, board in hand. The wave curled and I threw my board and my weight against it. _What a waste of time._ I thought. But I was wrong. The brief feel of the wind rushing through my face and the feel of the spray against my skin as I was shot up onto the beach by the wave was more enjoyable than I had previously thought. It was childish, really, but it was fun, and we did it for a half hour at least. We would have continued, but Ichigo said, "Hey, Rukia, I want to try something."

"What?" I asked. He motioned for me to come over.

"I want to see if you can do this on _me." _Wait…_what?_ I was confused, but I walked over. Ichigo moved out into the waves and I followed. I climbed onto his back and we waited for the perfect wave. When it came, it was huge and fast. Ichigo threw his board and his wait into it, eliciting a small yelp from me at the sudden drop.

I suppose you can't really call it flying, considering I was clinging to Ichigo, and we were skimming across the seawater and the sand, but it felt close. The moment was perfect as we shot farther than we had any of the other times and we squinted against the salty spray and the sand. I could feel Ichigo's muscles spasm under me as he laughed gleefully; he sounded so happy like skidding across the sand and the foam was the most wonderful experience in the world. And, as long as my life had been, for me, it was. We went back and did it again, and again, and again. I never had so much fun in my life.

It was rather romantic what we were doing. And despite my original relief that Ichigo didn't think of our outing as a date, a part of me now very much wanted him to.

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><p>"Remind me why you built a pool in Nii-sama's back yard?" I asked Rangiku as I looked for a bathing suit.<p>

"Because he has the biggest property to do that in the Seireitei. Anyway, he destroyed our pool, and now we're going to the beach," she said lightly. I smirked as I watched her move to another rack. I was fine since I got to go to the beach again. I had heard that Ichigo would be there, which was nice.

Two pink pieces of cloth caught my eye, and I picked the hanger holding them up. It was the bikini I had dreaded on my previous shopping trip. But this time I smiled. I would buy it, I decided. After all, we were going to the beach, and I was supposed to _flaunt it_.

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><p><strong>(<strong>Thanks for reading. Please review**)**


	2. The Amusement Park

**Note: Let it be known (and don't kill me) that I am not a fan of Orihime. As such, I will not often place her in a coupling with characters that I like (Ichigo, Uryu, etc.) However, while I am a fan of Chad, his strong, silent personality balances out her ditzy, loud personality. This is why there is some Chad x Orihime**

**Disclaimer: As much as I would dearly love to, I do not own Bleach. So to console myself, I write theses stories, and I do own the original storyline. **

**Reviews are appreciated, they make my soul sing, but flames will be used for roasting marshmallows and nothing else.**

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><p>"I'm really sorry Rukia, but I can't go shopping with you this weekend. Chad's taking me to the amusement park," she paused, "But you know, you're welcome to come along; I'm sure Chad wouldn't mind."<p>

I shook my head sheepishly. If this was a date they were going on, I wouldn't disturb them. I didn't want to be the fifth wheel. "Oh, that's okay, Orihime. We can always go another time," I said. I said goodbye to her and walked off. _What is an amusement park_? I thought. All I could conjure up in my mind was a park with trees and various forms of entertainment such as music. It was just like a flower viewing party, which was not my idea of entertainment. That was more to Nii-sama's liking. I couldn't begin to guess what Chad and Orihime would want to do at an amusement park, but it was none of my business, so I pushed it from my mind as I made my way to the Kurosakis' house.

Ichigo was in his room when I got home, more or less doing his homework. He seemed distracted by something on the odd contraption he called a computer. There was a little figure running across the screen waving a sword of some sort felling various enemies. It was vaguely interesting, but not interesting enough to hold my attention. I tapped Ichigo on the shoulder to let him know I was home, and couldn't help but chuckle at his surprised response. He leapt nearly a full inch from his seat before wheeling to face me. "Don't do that! I…I…" he gasped.

I smirked at him mockingly. "The only people I can think of who you have any reason to be scared enough of to elicit _that _response are Nii-sama, Captain Zaraki, and maybe Renji when he's mad. Neither of them are even in the World of the Living at the moment, so what has you so tense?" Ichigo looked at me sheepishly. He looked rather cute like that, I had to admit, rubbing the back of his neck and a slight flush spread over his nose and his cheeks. "Unless you were looking at something inappropriate, which I know you weren't, you have know reason to act that way."

He glared at me for a moment before turning away, seemingly ignoring my comment. I dumped my stuff on his bed and stretched out over it. The room was quiet but for the occasional noise from Ichigo's computer. "Hey, Ichigo," I said, breaking the silence, "What is an 'amusement park' and how can it be so amusing?"

Ichigo was quiet for a moment, and by the way his eyebrows knit together, I could tell he was thinking. He started to say something, but then he closed his mouth, and then he started to say something again, but he stopped again to. I couldn't under how the concept of an amusement park could be so difficult to explain. Granted, my interpretation of it was probably wrong, but it couldn't possibly be so complicated that Ichigo was at a loss as to how to explain it? Finally he spoke. "Y'know, it would be a lot easier to explain if you knew what things like 'rides' and 'water parks' were. But anyway, you go there and there are things like waterslides and rollercoasters…but you don't know what those are…."

"I would like to go see this 'amusement park', whatever it is," I said flatly.

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><p>So I was going to go to an amusement park, just to see what it was like. I didn't really expect to be entertained by it. I still had the image of the flower viewing party still engrained in my mind. The only value I could see in an 'amusement park' was a possibly romantic setting, but I found things like skidding up the beach on Ichigo's back romantic as opposed to admiring flowers. But I <em>was <em>curious to see if maybe I was wrong, if maybe I could have fun at an 'amusement park'.

Ichigo had said I would need a bathing suit, and since Orihime was actually available this time, I took it as an excuse to go shopping. I already had two bathing suits, but I was beginning to agree with Rangiku and Orihime that a girl could never have too many clothes. When Orihime heard, she also insisted that I would need a cute outfit for the day, despite my half-hearted protest that I wasn't going on a date with Ichigo. But she was convinced, and obviously thrilled about it, and to make matters worse she had appointed herself my personal stylist for the trip. Once again, although slightly more willingly, I found myself being dragged to the center of town.

"So Ichigo's taking you to an amusement park? What fun!" Orihime squealed as she yanked me into yet another boutique. "You're going to love it. Oh, make sure he takes you on the Ferris wheel; it's so romantic…."

"Orihime," I protested as I wondered what a _Ferris wheel_ was, "we're not going on a - "

She cut me off, saying, "and Are you over that bikini thing now? Because this one is really cute. Ichigo will love you in it." She held up a powder blue bikini. It had silver embroidered on the chest and silver embroidered hearts on the rear. _Byakuya would kill me __**and **__Ichigo if he saw me in this_, I thought with a thrill. The thought made me feel rebellious, and I did like the suit Orihime had picked out. She took it so she could pay for it at the register despite my protests that I could pay for it myself. _That was relatively painless,_ I couldn't help but think. I barely had time to collect the bathing suit before Orihime dragged me out of the store.

The next store was slightly larger and held a much larger variety of clothes. Orihime dragged me from the door toward a rack of very short pants. Some of them were scarcely longer than the bottoms of the bathing suit I was planning to wear. I looked askance at Orihime who was obviously oblivious to my discomfort with her selection of clothes. She was carelessly rifling through the clothes, occasionally holding up a pair, glancing at me and putting it back. I edged off toward a rack of shirts while Orihime continued to look through the other clothing.

By the end of the day, I had a bikini, and a little more than just an outfit for the amusement park, considering how enthusiastic Orihime had been about everything. I wasn't sure when I would wear it all, but I was glad for her help

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><p>"So this, Rukia, is an amusement park," Ichigo said. The scene in front of me was the farthest possible thing from what I had imagined. I stood there, in my outfit: black and white plaid shorts that only reached a third of the way down my thigh, the t-shirt with the bunny on it that looked so much like Chappy (Orihime had said its name was Miffy?), and the various accessories Orihime had insisted she wear. Under it, I wore the powder blue bikini. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail and before I had left, desperate to get away from Orihime's primping hands, she had propped a pair of sunglasses on my head. I couldn't help but think that she had planned it so I looked very much like I was Ichigo's girlfriend…which I didn't exactly regret….<p>

Ichigo bought our admission into the park, and immediately dragged me off to the 'waterpark'. We left our street clothes at a locker somewhere on the premises and then Ichigo steered me over to a rather intimidating structure that he called a water slide. It _looked_ as pointless as bodyboarding, but I had been wrong about that. Although, I couldn't understand why Ichigo insisted that we wait on line for it. It couldn't be _that_ good, that he was willing to wait so long.

It was twenty minutes before it was our turn to ride, and I was a little bent out of sort from waiting so long in the hot sun. The park employee at the top of the slide held up an inflated circle, and when she saw that I was with Ichigo, she put it back and brought out another one that looked kind of like an figure-eight. Ichigo sat down on the thing like it was the simplest thing. I couldn't understand how something that flimsy looking could hold up his weight, let own my added weight. Ichigo looked at me before saying, "It's an inner tube; get in it, and hold onto the handles." Cautiously, I complied, and grabbed hold of the handles on my side of the inner tube.

The employee gave us a sudden shove and we moved into the current of water that was coursing down the slide. We were moving slowly until suddenly we dropped and picked up speed. My stomach felt like it had fallen out of me, and when I tried to scream, I couldn't because the sensation in my stomach felt so weird. _Ichigo_ was laughing, the rascal. He was roaring laughter, and I couldn't tell if it was because he was enjoying the ride so much of because he thought my reaction was funny. I didn't have much time to be irritated, however, because the inner tube jerked to the side as we reached a turn in the slide. I clung even tighter the handles and watched them turn white. I couldn't decided whether I was thrilled or terrified at the speed we had reached and the sudden turns and occasional drops in the slide. And all the while, while my stomach was dropping and rising, Ichigo was laughing the entire time.

Our ride ended all to soon as we skidded into a pool of somewhat deep water. We slipped out of the inner tube and waded to the edge before climbing out. Afterward, we rode several other slides, always sharing an inner tube, and each slide became more enjoyable for me as I became more used to them. Around midday, we decided it was too hot to wait in line for another slide, so Ichigo suggested they go into the Lazy River. He grabbed a double inner tube as they approached and dropped it in the water. He motioned for me to get in, and I did, and he followed. We floated off at a leisurely pace with the current, surrounded by many other people, some of whom were also sharing an inner tube.

This ride was calm, far less exciting than the previous rides I'd been on. But it finally gave me a chance to think. I wanted to try something that I had no chance of trying on the water slides. I shifted closer to Ichigo, and looked at him intently. I just wanted to see what he would do. Half of me wanted him to move away and stop the stupid lovey thoughts that were wafting through my mind. But the other rebellious half of me that as steadily growing more dominant wanted him to lean in closer, too, just so I could have a little hope that maybe Ichigo felt the same about me.

Ichigo looked down at me, but to the relief of one part of me and the disappointment of the other, he stayed in the same position that he was. Well, he didn't look like he was going to move, so, tentatively, I turned and rested my back against him. When he looked askance, a flush spread across my face, and I snapped, "What? I wanted something to support my back, and you were the nearest thing!"

He raised an eyebrow before saying, "The point of the inner tubes in the Lazy River is that you can lie back against them and _relax_. You can let loose sometimes, y'know." When I didn't move though, he didn't protest anymore and let me sit.

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><p>"We're getting on this?" I asked as a hint of terror crept into my voice. As I looked at the huge metal rails before us, I began to feel the cold, empty sensation in my stomach that I got when I was scared. Ichigo said this was a rollercoaster, something that human found to be extremely fun. I had watched a group of people ride it, and they had been <em>shrieking<em>. I couldn't help but think that people didn't shriek that much when they were having fun. "If Nii-sama ever finds out that you put me on this…" I threatened weakly.

Ichigo had his trademark cocky look on his face as he said, "But he won't, will he? Come on, it's going to be fun. Look, it's our turn." We climbed into a car and the attendant pulled the lap bar over us. Other patrons were chatting happily and laughing, or expressing their anticipation of the ride, and I couldn't understand why they were so lighthearted. How could they not be terrified? My insides clenched just from hearing Ichigo say, "Alright! Here we go!"

Slowly, the cars made their ascent to the first peak of the rollercoaster. I would have appreciated the view of the entire park, but I was too preoccupied being absolutely frightened out of my wits. I was currently looking almost straight down at the ground below. _I am going to die_, was the thought that ran through my head, followed by, _But technically I'm already dead, so I'm just going to be __**horribly**__ maimed. _

With absolutely no warning whatsoever, the cars plunged toward the ground. I could feel the force of it all push me against the seat. I would have screamed, but my throat was constricted with fear as I clung to the lap bar for dear life. Beside me, Ichigo was laughing maniacally like some sort of freak. I tried to shoot him a glare, but I'm sure all he saw was a mask of horror. This only made him laugh harder.

The cars continued to plunge toward the ground, and suddenly lifted up making another rapid climb. The cars sped on at a maddening speed and the tracks turned. The cars tilted to the side a bit as they turned, eliciting a choked yelp from me. The rails dropped and climbed and turned, and for every moment of it, I could see my life flashing before my eyes. _Humans are crazy! _I screamed in my head. _How do they enjoy things like this?_

At the end of the ride, I had to sheepishly disentangle my arms from Ichigo. I hadn't realized that I had been clinging to him in terror of death for the better part of the ride. And despite that and my desperate protests and pleas, he put me on another rollercoaster. Only it was worse. We sat in seats where are legs dangled of the edge and the thing corkscrewed, turned us upside down, on our sides, and went backwards. If the first rollercoaster was terrifying, this one was paralyzingly so. I had screamed the entire way, and since it was impossible to cling to Ichigo, I had held a death grip on the bar.

As much as I wanted to draw Sode no Shirayuki on Ichigo for putting me through it all, I was glad for the experience. It could be _fun_ to be that scared sometimes I realized.

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><p><em>Orihime was right, this is romantic. <em>I thought. Ichigo and I sat at the top of the Ferris wheel looking down on the scene below us. It was night, and the view from the Ferris wheel afforded a beautiful view of the amusement park with all its lights on. There was several meters between us an the couples in front of us and behind us, and it was almost like being alone. _But you're not on a date_, I thought. _Ichigo is just showing you the amusement park because you asked, _my cautious side said. I frowned at the thought. I was sure Ichigo did not think of this as a date. The Ferris wheel had not been his idea. I had asked him to take me because I wanted to see if it was really as romantic as Orihime said it was. Of course, I didn't tell him this. To him, we were just here so I could see some more of the World of the Living, nothing more nothing less. It made my rebellious, lovey side somewhat unhappy.

"So how do you like the amusement park?" Ichigo asked. He was looking down at me with a look in his eye that I couldn't really pinpoint. I had never seen something like it before.

"I liked it fine. You should have warned me about the water slides, and if you _ever_ put me on another rollercoaster, I will make sure you stay frozen for the rest of your life. The other rides were fine though," I said with a bit of laughter in my voice. We sat in silence for a few moments before a funny thought occurred to me. "Do you think anyone from the 11th Division would be able to take the rollercoaster?" I asked.

Ichigo let out a little snicker. "Not Yachiru – she's too small, and not Yumichika 'cause it would mess up his hair. But Ikkaku and Kenpachi would do it and yell the entire way. The person I'd like to see on one of those things is Byakuya." I snorted. Nii-sama would never ride a rollercoaster. He'd consider it too undignified. Besides, it would blow his kenseikan out of his hair. Although, it occurred to me that if Captain Zaraki made a comment about it….. I decided that that would be my new project once I got back to Soul Society: getting Nii-sama, Captain Zaraki, and Ikkaku Madarame on a rollercoaster. I couldn't help but laugh to myself at the thought.

A chill breeze blew past us, and I shivered involuntarily. Ichigo looked down at me with a somewhat tender look in his eyes. "Are you cold?" he asked. He wrapped one of his arms around me and drew me close.

_You're on a Ferris wheel, looking down at the park, and Ichigo has his arm around you. Who are you kidding? _My lovey side asked. _Of course you're on a date!_

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><p>"So, Nii-sama, I went to this place called an amusement park while I was in the World of the Living," I said to my brother. "I rode something called a rollercoaster." I proceeded to give him the details of my experience, leaving out the fact that Ichigo had taken me and that I had clung to him during the first ride.<p>

My brother looked askance at me with all the superiority of a noble. "I would never do something so unsophisticated," he told me in a dismissive tone. I got up to leave, recognizing that this discussion was over. I smiled to myself. I had guessed right; Nii-sama would never do something like that.

Just as I was about to leave, I turned back, and said in a false indignant tone, "I was telling Yachiru about it, and Captain Zaraki of the 11th Division said that only a _real_ man would be able to take a rollercoaster like that. He said that you and 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa would never be able to because you two are too prissy." I grinned with my back to Nii-sama, and took a quick peek behind me. His back had stiffened.

Just before I left the room, I heard him mutter, "We'll see about that…"

* * *

><p><strong>For those of you who may have been wondering (or not) Miffy is an actual bunny who bears a very basic resemblance to Chappy, which is why Rukia picked the shirt.<strong>

**Thanks for reading! Please review the story; I take everything into consideration. Also, I need an idea for what Rukia should do with Rukia next. Going to see a movie doesn't seem good enough, and I'm at a loss as to what they should do.**

**Thanks! I might not post for a while because I'll be away with no internet access for a week, but I'll post again as soon as possible!**


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